In the span of five days in 2010, the season changed for the Detroit Tigers, and rapidly changed for the worst.

On July 19, Brandon Inge was hit on the left hand, the resulting fracture expected to take four-to-six weeks to heal. Five days later, Magglio Ordonez would fracture his ankle sliding into home. Two innings later, Carlos Guillen strained his calf.

Ordonez missed the rest of the season, but Inge and Guillen were both back in the lineup by Aug. 10.

By that time, though, the Tigers — who had held a slim lead in the American League Central as late as mid-July — watched their divisional deficit grow from 2 1/2 games to 10.

They never recovered.

And this recent stretch in the 2014 season has been eerily reminiscent of that abrupt left turn — or at least the underlying causes thereof — back in 2010.

While the Tigers lucked out that Torii Hunter’s hand wasn’t broken when it was nailed by Dellin Betances in New York last week — and Hunter initially thought his season was over — they’ve already announced starter Anibal Sanchez (out three to four weeks) and reliever Joakim Soria are headed for the disabled list, and Justin Verlander might not be far behind them.

Verlander left Monday’s start against the Pittsburgh Pirates after just one inning — the shortest stint of his career — after shoulder soreness concerned manager Brad Ausmus enough to pull the plug on the rest of the night.

“I was actually immediately worried from the start of the game. Quite frankly, looking back, I almost wish I would have taken him out when I went out with (head trainer) Kevin Rand,” Ausmus said.

“After watching him finish the inning, I didn’t want to risk him getting seriously injured. He didn’t want to come out. But, like I said, unless his arm was lying on the ground next to him, he wouldn’t want to come out. He knew the team needed a pick-up from a starter (after Sunday’s 19-inning game), and he wanted to be that guy. But I just can’t send a guy out there if I think there’s a risk of injury.”

The right-hander, who has never missed a start due to injury, will return to Detroit and undergo an MRI on Tuesday.

Understandably, there’s some concern.

“Obviously, I’m concerned. There’s a level of concern. You go to get an MRI, it’s never a good sign. This is the first time in my career. Every other time I’ve gotten an MRI, it’s been for a good reason, for the team physical,” Verlander said.

“Now, it’s a little bit different. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous. But I’ve never been through this before. I’m going to be a little bit nervous. Keep my hopes high, keep my fingers crossed. Hopefully, it’s nothing.”

It might be.

This whole comparison wasn’t intended to be alarmist, other than to point out how quickly a few injuries can detour a season. If the injuries to Soria (oblique), Sanchez (pectoralis major) and Verlander (unknown shoulder) are indeed nothing, it’s likely to be just a speedbump.

The Tigers will start a pair of rookies — Robbie Ray Tuesday and Buck Farmer Wednesday — and move on.

If any or all of them are more?

Well, that’s concerning.

It’s concerning for Verlander, too, because it’s something he now says he’s been experiencing for a while.

And it’s concerning, because of the level of wear and tear on the arm of Verlander — who’s led baseball in pitches thrown in four of the last five seasons, and innings three of the last five — in recent seasons.

“It’s been lingering for a little while,” he admitted.

Can he define a while?

“No,” he said.

Can he define what he’s feeling? Pain? Weakness?

“I don’t know. It’s hard for me to describe, because I’ve never been through this,” said Verlander, who had offseason core muscle repair surgery.

It was something that clearly affected him in his 40-pitch first inning, even though he said there was no sharp pain.

But was there some pain?

“Warming up, it didn’t feel great. But as I said, once I got out there on the mound, game situation, it didn’t feel too bad. Wasn’t there at all. That’s the reason I wanted to go back out there. I told Brad I really didn’t think I’d be risking anything more going out there. As a pitcher, you risk something every time you take the mound, injury-wise, but I knew that the team needed me tonight, and that was the biggest reason I wanted to go back out,” Verlander said.

“Warming up, long-tossing then going to the bullpen, it didn’t feel great. Then started to loosen up toward the end of my bullpen. Then got on the mound — no sharp pains or anything, just the ball wasn’t coming out of my hand good at all. I was throwing 88, 90. But, I told Brad I wanted to go back out there, would let him know if it got worse, or anything. He said that was it, and that was the end of my night.”

After a discussion in the dugout, Verlander took his at-bat in the second inning, laying down a sacrifice bunt, then came out of the game, slamming his helmet and bat in frustration before heading up the tunnel to the clubhouse.

Caution obviously needed prevail in that situation — despite the fact that the loss dropped the Tigers out of first place for just the sixth night since mid-May of last season.

Long-term, the Tigers need him right for the postseason, if their World Series hopes are to be realized.

Even longer term, the Tigers still owe him $140 million over the next five seasons.

It could be nothing.

It could be something.

That won’t be known until sometime Tuesday.

The Tigers — and their fans — can only keep their fingers crossed, along with Verlander, hoping that this is not one of those four- or five-day spans where everything changes.